Kevin Mark Polson

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Kevin Mark Polson, born in Boston 9-7-1966 passed away at Lahey Clinic in Burlington on 7-31-2022 surrounded by his wife and family. Husband of Kimberly. Current resident of North Dighton. Prior to moving to North Dighton, Kevin & his wife lived in Fairhaven where they raised 3 children: Allisen, Alexander, & Mark. Kevin was raised in Braintree where he attended Blue Hills High School in Canton where he was captain of the football team. He attended Bridgewater State College.

            Kevins’ entire life was dedicated to public service. He lived his life by the words:

            “Your word is your honor, without it you’re nothing”. Kevin served honorably in the U.S. Army National Guard (1985-1992) (972 MP Company) out of Newton. He was employed by Plymouth House of Corrections & then Mass Department of Corrections, he retired in 1999. Kevin served the Fairhaven Fire Department as a call firefighter for 25+ years where he earned the rank as Lieutenant. Mattapoisett Fire Department where he was a firefighter and fire inspector. During the years of his fire service, he helped to form Southcoast Fire Training Academy. He owned and operated South Coast Training in Fairhaven. He was an EMT with Swansea Ambulance Corp & EMT and dispatcher at Brewster Ambulance. He was also an Armed Security Officer with Internal Security Associates until his illness. He was a third generation Free Mason. He was a member of the Star In The East Lodge in New Bedford. Kevin was an avid lover of sports; his true passion was football. He started playing football where he developed the love of the game with Braintree pop warner right into adulthood with the Randolph Oilers. He coached youth football, high school football, and semi -professional football; Braintree Pop Warner, New Bedford Pop Warner, Dartmouth Pop Warner, Bishop Stang High School, Tri-County High School, Whaling City Clippers, South Shore Shock, East Coast Ducks, Somerville Rampage, & Taunton Gladiators. Kevin made an impact on the lives of many of his players throughout the 37 years of coaching.

            Kevin enjoyed coaching and watching his children in all sports. Kevin loved to travel and spend time with his family and many friends. He especially enjoyed spending time with his grandkids. He enjoyed scuba diving, working on home projects, being a mentor, riding his motorcycle, exercising his 2nd amendment, and talking. His true passions were being a husband, father, Papa, and friend.

            Kevin is survived by his loving wife of 31 years, Kimberly as well as his children; Allisen & her husband Joshua Anacki of Taunton, Alexander of New Bedford, Mark & his fiancé Alexandria Astle of North Dighton. His father Karl Polson of South Yarmouth. He is predeceased by his mother Rhea L. Nadeau. His grandchildren Chase, Riley Anne, & Sawyer Rose Polson. He is also survived by his brothers David and his wife Leanne of Braintree, Erik & his wife Lori of Raynham, & Matthew & his wife Ashley of Texas. Several nieces, nephews, and aunts. There are also too many friends that became family to list individually.

            Visiting hours, Thursday, August 4, 2022 from 4-8 p.m. and Friday, August 5, 2022 from 9-11 a.m. in the Waring-Sullivan Home at Fairlawn, 180 Washington St., Fairhaven. Flowers Welcome.

            For online tributes: www.waring-sullivan.com

Eyesore No More

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            Monday night’s public meeting of the Marion Planning Board yielded little in the way of adjudication or voting decisions, but a significant piece of information emerged out of a general discussion regarding the town’s Master Plan.

            Noting an item regarding the power of the Planning Board to control derelict commercial properties, member Andrew Daniel referenced the old Christie’s, “the eyesore of Route 6 in Marion.” Board Chairman Norm Hills confirmed that Marion resident Mike Sudofsky has bought the property, “and he’s coming up with a concept on what to do with it.”

            Few private properties in town have been as widely discussed in municipal government meetings as the former convenient mart inside the little triangle between Route 6, Spring Street and Wells Road.

            Daniel suggested that the town could make a decision with Wells Road (i.e. to do away with it.) Hills agreed, “It could be a lot safer.” Board member Eileen Marum said that some drivers use the road to access Sippican Health Care Center. Without Wells Road, it was agreed that the healthcare center is still accessible via Mill Street, the small stem of a road that begins at Spring Street and winds out to Route 6 near the Cushing Community Center.

            The discussion about the former Christie’s was one of many items on a list of Master Plan goals established in 2017. Board member Alanna Nelson read from the action items list, identifying matters that fall at least partially under the Planning Board’s purview. Nelson said that the entire planning document is accessible on the town’s website (marionma.gov.)

            In the revisiting the list now, the purpose is to identify and pick up on some tasks for the next year.

            Hills said that a study with the Affordable Housing Trust will inform the board regarding the Lockheed Martin property and that the Codification group is working on a billet-style bylaw to address some of the other properties on the town’s radar.

            Planning Board member Chris Collings asked how the Heron Cove project planned for Route 6 near the Wareham town line affects Marion’s obligations to consider future 40B affordable-housing applications.

            “It’s going to help us as far as the 40B (requirement) goes … it’s working its way through the (Zoning Board of Appeals) as we speak,” said Hills, noting that Ken Steen’s project will put Marion over the 10-percent, state-required, affordable-housing threshold.

            Given other housing projects such as the market-rate townhouse development that Matt Zuker is expected to propose near Heron Cove, Hills told Collings that at some point, the town will once again need to calculate and project necessary senior housing into its Master Plan. “That’s what the Codification Committee is looking at,” he said.

            The board reviewed the status of various tools that could spur business growth in Marion. The idea of a local guide to facilitate business took “a number of half-steps,” according to Hills, but “nothing has ever come of it.”

            Marum clarified that the bus running along Route 6 is operated by the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) and runs from New Bedford to Wareham. “They’ll stop if you wave and flag them (anywhere on Route 6,)” said Nelson.

            The board suspects that the state’s Community Compact Cabinet will cease to exist when Governor Charlie Baker leaves office in January.

            Daniel said that the town received a $20,000 state grant for an ADA study, and the application period is now open to apply for grant funding to pursue particular ADA-related projects. The application is due in October. Nelson confirmed she is on the committee that has been dormant. Hills told the board he will discuss the matter with Town Administrator Jay McGrail.

            Continuing on her checklist related to the Master Plan, Nelson read an item to partner with Tabor Academy in an effort to monitor flooding. Marion has established a Hazard Mitigation Plan, and the Energy Management Committee has frequently discussed climate change.

            Open space and habitat, commonly discussed by the Open Space Acquisition Commission, falls to the Stewards of Open Space (of which Hills is a member.) He said the town has been trying to get the open-space plan completed.

            Sippican Historical Society’s updated website drew rave reviews from board members for its information.

            Finally, the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission had discussed a joint meeting to update protection areas, but that task has not been done in years.

            Pecking away at Master Plan items is daunting, but the board is intent on addressing each item mentioned.

            “That’s how you eat an elephant, one bite at a time,” said Hills. “If anything from this discussion jumps out at anyone, feel free to pick it up and discuss at future meetings.”

            The continued public hearing on changes to the Rules and Regulations with respect to the use of the Hybrid-Y in place of the Hammerhead on dead-end roads under Section 300-2.1 through 300-6.1 of the Subdivision Rules and Regulations was continued to August 15, at 7:05 pm.

            The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for Monday, August 15, at 7:00 pm in the Police Station conference room.

Marion Planning Board

By Mick Colageo

Cal Closes Generation Gap on High Seas

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Cal Currier didn’t know when he left Marion harbor alone on Argo that he’d be gone 28 hours, much less 28 days. The option was always there to bail, and it wasn’t a matter of bravado.

            At age 16, the California-raised grandson of longtime Marion resident Bill Saltonstall knew he has his whole life in front of him and easily could have entertained a very reasonable argument to wait a year, what’s the rush, imagine how much easier this will be with that much more sailing experience.

His thinking? Why not do it while he had the chance.

            “What made it possible and made me not nervous … is my father and I labbed it all out, we did all the math, we figured out what the real dangers were, what the less-real dangers were, and we realized that the dangers weren’t as great as many people think they are,” said Currier on Monday during a visit to the Saltonstalls’ Front Street home.

            So Currier turned the corner around Bird Island and sailed across the Atlantic in his Tartan-brand, 30-foot sailboat that he bought for $12,000 from 90-year-old Sandy Van Zandt in Noank, Connecticut.

            As Bill Saltonstall explained, Van Zandt had been tweaking the early-fiberglass design for just such an excursion. In addition, being “a tank” as Bill Saltonstall called it; the tightly spaced Argo is useful for little else.

            Late last year, Currier was sailing for the first time. He only started taking lessons in January in San Francisco Bay, but his pedigree is impressive. Both his grandfather and his father James Currier, had sailed solo across the Atlantic. His mother Katrina (Saltonstall) Currier readily admits that she needed some convincing, but she also knew her husband and father would not place her son in harm’s way.

            “I left in 20-knot winds because I wasn’t sure if I was going to go all the way across, and I wanted to either prove to myself that I couldn’t do it and therefore turn around or prove to myself that I could do it so I left in as nasty conditions as I could,” he said.

            The increments were the first three days if yes or no, followed by nine days “in the thick of it,” but Currier knew he had enough from that point to motor to the Azores if “something bad happened.”

            The 3,900-mile journey took 28 days. He once overslept and went 50 miles off course but says he learned his lesson. Marion-based sailor and climatologist Jennifer Francis lent her assistance in monitoring the weather.

            Though the pedigree was not literally along for the ride, much in the way of experience, guidance and technology was present via their preparation. Currier was reminded he could turn back at any point – experienced sailors say it is harder to sail the Atlantic east to west than west to east – but when he reached the Azores, he wanted to continue and finally landed his boat in Lagos on the southern coast of Portugal.

            “Satisfaction and relief, I guess. I was really excited to see people that I could talk to,” he said. “It was nice to land there to see my family, but I guess what I had done hadn’t really registered in my mind because every day blended together.”

            Currier’s accomplishment was featured on the NBC Today show on July 26, as he was celebrated as likely the youngest ever to sail solo west to east across the Atlantic.

Asked on Today about the darkness out on the open ocean and what he learned most about himself, Currier thought about those whom he missed out there by himself.

            “I guess what I’d say I learned most about myself is how important people are to me,” he told the panel. “I’ve always considered myself to be somewhat of an introverted extrovert, where I like to be with myself, but at the end of the day I love people, and that was reaffirmed with that. I really missed people the whole time so I don’t think I’ll do any large solo expeditions anymore; it’s just more fun to be with people.”

            Cal Currier, twin to brother Bodie, the two being the youngest of four Currier children, is a serious volleyball player at Palo Alto (California) High School, and the sport may play a role as he figures out a college.

            Sailing is not a one-off, however, as Cal is plotting a potential sail next summer in the Mediterranean Sea.

By Mick Colageo

Philip’s Episcopal Church

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On Sunday, August 7, The Rev. Marc Eames, Priest-in-Charge, St. John’s Church, Vernon, CT will conduct services at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 34 Water Street next to the Town Beach in Mattapoisett.

            The 138th summer season services with visiting clergy each Sunday are at 8:00 am and 10:00 am using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. All are welcome.

Bike Path

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To the Editor;

            As a long-time resident on the Neck Rd., it’s wonderful that the bike path is finally making some progress BUT.

            We also know that drivers often don’t observe speed limits, especially in the short 30MPH stretch of Neck Rd. When coupled with the bike path crossing, it’s an accident waiting to happen. Twice I’ve encountered non-observant bike path users, one on a bike and one on foot.

            We were all schooled in the correct ways to cross any street, whether on foot or bike and if we’re to “share the road,” then everyone needs to be more cautious. A pedestrian has ‘right of way’ in a crosswalk, but that doesn’t mean a walker ignores traffic and marches across without looking both ways and pausing if a vehicle is bearing down on the area. It also applies to bikers flying across the road without slowing down and/or stopping to assess the traffic first.

            Drivers should decrease their speed when approaching the crossing and stop if someone is already in the crosswalk. But if a cyclist or a pedestrian darts across without taking vehicle traffic into consideration, life and limb is in danger.

            “Sharing the road” means that we all need to observe the laws and the rules of common sense.

Chris Ward, Mattapoisett

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

Assessors Appointment Delayed

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            The Rochester Board of Assessors want to replace retired assessor Debra Lalli with Debra Lalli as an appointee, but the Select Board delayed that appointment Monday night, objecting that the members should have been told sooner that this was the plan all along.

            “Did you know this would happen?” Select Board Chairman Woody Hartley asked. “It would’ve been nice if we had known about her interest before.”

            Hartley complained that the board would not have made the effort to advertise the position if it had known Lalli was interested in returning as an appointee. As a result of that effort, there is already one other applicant for the position, town Financial Director Suzanne Szyndlar. “You could have been a little more above board,” Hartley said.

            Board of Assessors Chairperson Diana Knapp said Lalli sent her letter of interest to the board just recently. Someone of her experience is needed right now because the town is in the middle of a revaluation, she said. It is important for the sake of continuity that Lalli be the one to help the board with this project.

            “We weren’t being secretive,” Knapp said. “This has been standard practice in the past. We didn’t know for certain what she would do. It was her call. We couldn’t say for sure she would do this.”

            Hartley said the board only heard about Lalli’s interest the day of the Select Board meeting and that there would have to be two interviews now because of the other applicant.

            Assessor Jana Cavanagh said they were hoping the Select Board would vote at Monday night’s meeting because of all the work they need to get done, but the board members voted to close the application process on Thursday, August 5, to then conduct interviews and vote to appoint on Monday, August 8, at 5 pm.

            Next, the Select Board approved $96,783 in FY22, year-end budget transfers after Szyndlar explained transactions representing approximately 0.5 percent of the town’s annual operating budget and mainly the result of staff turnovers and budget overlaps.

            Alan Decker of the Buzzards Bay Coalition convinced the board to approve a conservation restriction for 4 acres on Burgess Avenue near Walnut Plain Avenue that the group is calling “Head Water Bog.” Decker said the plan is to allow public access and maintain social trails there, and the small, one-acre bog on the property would be maintained for public demonstrations of bog work. He added, however, the coalition may add a parking lot for visitors.

            In related action, the board voted not to exercise the town’s right to buy 8 acres on Featherbed Lane that is being taken out of 61A zoning protections. This acreage is in the middle of a proposed solar project, Town Counsel Blair Bailey said. He added that the town is close to imposing a moratorium on solar projects because three others like it are already in the works.

            The selectmen then approved Monday, October 17, as the date for the fall Special Town Meeting and Monday, August 29, at 5 pm as the last day and time to file warrant articles. They awarded the transfer station siting contract to Tighe and Bond of Westfield for $32,500, and they appointed two police officers, Ryan Delmonte and Robert Orr, to cover the September 6 primary polling place.

            In his report to the board, Town Administrator Glenn Cannon announced a variety of special dates and financial awards.

            Friday, September 2, will be “Employee Appreciation Day,” and Town Hall will close at 11:00 am.

Rochester will be receiving $117,000 in Green Communities grants funds this year. Cannon noted the town approved $27,000 at Town Meeting for that matching grant program.

            The town has received $10,000 from a COVANTA “outreach contribution.” Town departments will now submit requests for these funds. The selectmen will decide the recipients during their first September meeting.

            Rochester’s offer to pay town COVID-positive employees for their first five days out sick will end on Saturday, September 3. Cannon said that is because the program funding the offer has expired.

Cannon is proposing to organize a Public Safety Building Feasibility Study Committee. He will post his proposed charge for this committee and seek the public’s and the Select Board’s input.

            Hartley was happy to report to the board that Cannon recently met with Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber. Hartley told the Wanderer that improving communication between municipal leaders and the ORR School District remains crucial as the Tri-Towns navigate the high cost of public education.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Select Board is scheduled for Monday, August 15, at 6:00 pm.

Rochester Select Board

By Michael J. DeCicco

The British Invasion (Music from Across the Pond)

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The Marion Concert Band continues its summer concert series with a program of music from the British Isles on Friday, August 5. The program features several classic British Brass Band pieces as well as the music of Petula Clark, Gerry and the Pacemakers and the Beatles. There may even be an appearance by members of the Cape Cod British Car Club, LTD (CCBCC.) The program is as follows:

Colonel Bogey – K. J. Alford

Crown Imperial – W. Walton

English Suite – C. Grundman

Blue Bells of Scotland – A. Pryor

Tobias F. Monte, euphonium

Prelude, Siciliano & Rondo – M. Arnold

Sòlas Ané – S. Hazo

The Liberty Bell March – J.P. Sousa

Pop and Rock Legends: The Beatles – M. Sweeney

Irish Tune from County Derry – P. Grainger

Doctor Who: Through Time and Space – M. Gold

The British Are Coming – arr. J. Bocook

Knightsbridge March – E. Coates

            Tobias F. Monte, euphonium soloist, has performed with the Massachusetts All-State Band, the New Bedford Symphony Youth Orchestra, the UMass Dartmouth Wind Ensemble and Jazz Orchestra, St. Cecilia Philharmonic Band and the Tri-County Symphonic Band. He has been a member of the Marion Concert Band since 2011.

            The Cape Cod British Car Club, LTD (CCBCC) is a Massachusetts not-for-profit corporation whose membership annually exceeds 250. While members come from all over the world, most members are residents of southern New England. CCBCC members enjoy driving and displaying their English automobiles. Throughout the year, the CCBCC participates in events and raises funds for scholarship purposes. Annually, the club provides scholarships to automotive and auto body students at the Upper Cape Regional Technical School, the South Plymouth High School and the Cape Cod Regional Technical School. The club also provides funds towards a specific scholarship program available to Falmouth High School students.

            The concert, under the direction of Tobias S. Monte, will begin at 7:00, weather permitting, at the Robert Broomhead Bandstand, Island Wharf off Front Street in Marion. All concerts are free and open to the public. “Like” us on Facebook at “Marion Town Band” for up-to-date announcements and rain cancellation notices.

George L. Unhoch

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George L. Unhoch died peacefully in his Marion home of 57 years on Wednesday, July 27th, 2022. He was 87.

George was the husband of the late Dagmar (Scheve) Unhoch and father of the late Bettina Unhoch Pike, and Christina Unhoch Mason, who survives him.

He is also survived by his four grandchildren, George and Lucy Pike, Olivia and Nicholas Mason, and his three step-grandchildren, Logan and Lili Pike, and Emily Mason.

The son of George L. Unhoch, Sr. and Anna (Feldmann) Unhoch, George was born in Bayside, Queens, New York, and went to the Foxwood School in Flushing, Queens and the Choate School in Wallingford, CT. He was the first in his family to go to college, graduating from Yale University in 1956 with a degree in economics. He played on the varsity squash team at Yale.

After his graduation, George joined the family business, the New Bedford Thread Company, founded by his father in 1953.

The business made glace finish cotton sewing thread. George took over as president in January 1970 and built New Bedford Thread into a global brand name that survives until this day. He ran the company for 50 years, until its sale at the end of 2019.

From 1989 to 2001, George also owned and ran A.H. Rice & Co., a uniform braid business based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

An avid swimmer, George did laps in his pool everyday right up until just ten days before his death. An even more passionate golfer, he won numerous tournaments at his beloved Kittansett Club, where he served on the board for many years.

He was a parishioner and staunch supporter of Saint Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, where his funeral service will be held at 11 am on Saturday August 20th, reception to follow.

Contributions in his memory may be made to: www.southcoast.org/visiting-nurse-association/donate/.  For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Dead-End Solution Hits Pothole

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            Last winter’s contentious situation between residents of Marion Village Estates and developer Ken Steen over snowplowing responsibilities on Fieldstone Lane sent the newly formed homeowners association onto Town Meeting floor looking for acceptance as a town street.

            Their motion failed, as the town cited the hammerhead dead end to Fieldstone Lane as a key obstacle to safe snowplowing, only made worse by what the Department of Public Works considers a dangerous slope in the terrain.

            Fieldstone Lane residents attended the Marion Planning Board’s July 18 public hearing eager to listen in and comment on an effort to write the traditional, T-shaped hammerhead out of the town’s rules and regulations.

            A committee comprised of Planning Board Chairman Norm Hills, Town Administrator Jay McGrail, Fire Chief Brian Jackvony and DPW Director Nathaniel Munafo held a series of meetings to determine a course of action for future reference.

            “The response came back as a hybrid ‘Y,'” Hills told the Planning Board.

            The public hearing was held to determine the board’s course of action regarding Section 300-2.1 through 300-6.1 of Marion’s Subdivision Rules and Regulations. Hills handed Munafo the floor, who talked about concerns unique to the Fire Department and the DPW and how the hybrid “Y” addresses both.

            “The DPW side has been against hammerheads for many years. They present very much of a challenge during plowing and asking plows to back up during a storm is something we want to try to avoid,” Munafo explained. “So in the course of a few meetings, we came up with this hybrid solution here that incorporates some of the better aspects of both or those options of a cul-de-sac and the hammerhead – or the ‘T’ as it’s called in other places.

            “We felt that this was a good compromise in what both departments were looking for in these turnarounds at the ends of these subdivisions.”

            The conversation turned when Planning Board members weighed in on the discussion.

            Andrew Daniel reported on research he did after receiving the proposal, telling the board that he reached out as far as Milton, Vermont to see if that town has any such (Y-shaped) designs in use and reported that the town went to the “Y” to avoid cul-de-sacs, not hammerheads.

            Daniel said the proposed move to a Y-shaped, hybrid hammerhead was met with many rejections in his queries to engineering firms, other towns’ fire departments and DPWs. He praised the Town of Fairhaven for its tiered response, calling it “case specific” rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.

            Member Jon Henry, noting 35 years on the Fire Department including driving a 42-foot-long ladder truck and a commercial driver’s license for 45 years, was also against writing the hammerhead out of Marion’s Subdivision Rules and Regulations.

            “I can’t disagree with Andrew that we should not limit ourselves to one or two or three (options.) … When you throw something out, you learn to regret that,” he said. “I think we should leave well enough alone and not change the regulation. … The ‘Y’ looks like an obstacle. I side with Mr. Daniel on his assessments.”

            Member Tucker Burr aligned with Daniel and Henry. “I don’t think I would be in favor of getting rid of the hammerhead. … It seems we’d be losing a solution for a tight area …”

            Member Eileen Marum agreed with Munafo and Hills. “The DPW and the Fire Department … let’s give them what they need and keep some options on the side.”

            Jackvony was not present at the hearing but was quoted from an email correspondence as finding “the hybrid or ‘Y’ hammerhead system … acceptable.”

            “This was developed over a number of meetings. The DPW and the FD, they’re the ones … going forward, I’m not going to tell them how to do their business. … They’re the ones that requested this change,” said Hills.

            Daniel found it hard to believe that the fire chief requested the removal of the hammerhead option and noted that the state Fire Code lists five options including the ‘Y,’ the hammerhead, cul de sac and two others he found difficult to describe. “There’s not a whole lot of options because those are the ones allowed by the state,” he said.

            When public comment was invited, all three residents who spoke were Fieldstone Lane residents. Jennifer Esposito told the board the fire chief had brought down a ladder truck to maneuver on the T-shaped dead end there, and she offered the board delivery of her video of the exercise.

            Marum considers Fieldstone Lane’s dead end to be dangerous in winter weather.

            “I wouldn’t want to drive a car out on that hammerhead because there are no guardrails, it appears to be just loose gravel,” she said, noting that heavy rainfall could wash away and take some of the road surface with it.

            Esposito and the other two Fieldstone Lane residents who spoke, Andre Arsenault and John Miller, found the issue applicable to their situation, at which point Hills was compelled to recap the germination of the proposal to revise the Subdivision Rules and Regulations.

            “When I started, I mentioned that earlier this year we had approved some changes to the Rules and Regulations that were developed by an engineering firm last year for us. That new wording did include reference to a hammerhead, which was not there before. That wording has not been incorporated yet because we were still discussing … now the potential changing of the term hammerhead to something else. That’s why it’s not on the website,” he said. “One of the reasons I’m trying to get all this through so we can get all the rest of the changes that are in this change to the rules and regulations incorporated. And this one word is hanging us up right at this point in time.”

            Town Planner Doug Guey-Lee suggested that the acceptance of the hybrid Y would not necessarily rule out a traditional, T-shape hammerhead and suggested more generic language that would leave the town with options.

            Hills said his takeaway from the board’s interaction is that a decision will not be possible without going back to the fire chief and to DPW director and determine what if any changes are acceptable to them.

            “Those guys, in the end, are the ones that are responsible,” said Hills, disagreeing with Guey-Lee’s proposal. “It’s non-specific, and I want something specific. I don’t want a hammerhead of the dimensions that’s out there now. If we’re going to have a hammerhead, we’re going to specify the dimensions. I want to go back to the two people that are responsible and get agreement from them.”

            Hills reiterated he does not want to tell the Fire Department and the DPW how to do their business. Daniel countered by saying he is not proposing the board does that, only that what the state allows remain possible for the town to determine rather than closing off an option he insisted is standard practice.

            Henry concurred with Daniel that the regulations should be generic and not specific.

            The board voted to continue the public hearing to Monday, August 1, at 7:05 pm.

            In other business, the board voted to pay SRPEDD $2,405.49 for the agency’s services.

            Under Old Business, Hills corresponded with Town Counsel about Zoning maps and told the board it can have a two-page map, the second page including lot lines and other information helpful to the board without obscuring the basics of the Zoning Map. The board favors two pages.

            Hills said Guey-Lee has the experience and told the board he would see what can be generated in time for Town Meeting.

            The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for Monday, August 1, at 7:00 pm.

Marion Planning Board

By Mick Colageo

Outstanding Summer Music at FCCM

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The Marion Congregational Church is enjoying an array of guest musicians each Sunday throughout the summer. Beverly Peduzzi, church music director, has invited guest musicians to accompany each worship service while the church choir takes a summer break.

            Perhaps you were walking past the church last Sunday, you would have heard the skirl of Sue Maxwell’s bagpipe. Sandy Morgan, pianist & organist and Wendy Rolfe, one of the United States’ leading performers on historical and modern flutes performed in July.

            Coming in August will be The Yarmouth Congregational Church Quartet (August 7); Vi Taylor, 1st chair cellist of the Fall River Symphony Orchestra (August 14); Michelle Richardson, popular Marion jazz vocalist (August 21); Phil Sanborn (director of the Tri-County Symphonic Band); Karen Sanborn, (accomplished saxophonist and member of the Tri-County Band) and Laurie Black (talented pianist) will perform as an instrumental ensemble (August 28.)

            The FCCM summer music program will continue in September beginning with Kathy McWilliams (graduate of the New England Conservatory), bassoonist (September 4.)

            The community is invited to the services beginning at 10 am. You may even sit in the churchyard to enjoy the music and join the lively chat and coffee at the Congo Café following worship.